Talks with Roslin -2

Joana moves to her belongings, picking up a lacquered box. Inside is a set of emerald earrings and a matching necklace. She turns to Roslin, who watches her with curiosity.

"I may not attend your wedding," Joana says, "but I hope you wear this and remember that I'm with you in spirit."

She hands the box to Roslin, whose eyes widen at the sight of the jewels.

"Oh, I'm not worthy of such an honor, Consort," she murmurs.

"Please, Roslin," Joana says gently. "We are friends. Call me by my name."

Roslin places the box on her lap, her expression softening into a smile. Joana sits beside her, and for a moment, there is warmth between them. Yet, beneath that warmth, Joana knows the truth—Roslin's departure and that of the other women would only strengthen her position. Fewer women in the harem meant fewer potential rivals and fewer sons to challenge her own.

It was, after all, for her own good, and Roslin was her friend, to begin with. Other concubines in Harem weren't as friendly as Roslin; they viewed her as a competition, and to top it all, she was beautiful, so they secretly cursed her.

Joana knew this too well, only Roslin was friendly towards her.

Joana knows ways to prevent pregnancy, knowledge passed down from her mother's time in the Street of Silk. Her mother was, after all, a whore; although Joana didn't know matters about sex and what is done during sex, she only knew that men and women do something in bed, and exactly what? She didn't. Her mother made sure to not let Joana travel the same path as her- a whore.

Joana saw her mother eating certain things at last, and she asked her about it; her mother told her that it was to prevent pregnancy and miscarriage of the child.

Joana learned all sorts of techniques regarding this matter.

But she would not dare use them here. The Mother and Meria had made it clear: even the unborn were imperial blood, and to harm them was a grave sin. The irony is not lost on her.

Pregnancy is inevitable. Perhaps once, perhaps more.

And when that time comes, her child's fate will depend on the Emperor's will. He has no wife to bear a formal heir—his sons will all have equal claim, and only he can name a successor. But no ruler has dared to do so since the Cheerful Emperor, who named his daughter as heir, only for the empire to bleed when her brother's mother fought to place the Green Emperor on the throne. The war ended with the Bane Emperor's rise—and the deaths of all other claimants.

Succession was a silent battle, fought by mothers long before their sons could even walk.

For Joana, there is only one path—to keep the Emperor's favor, make him want her in bed, bear sons, and quietly gather power. She must prepare for the day when the Emperor looks elsewhere. When that day comes, she needs to ensure there are fewer women for him to turn to.

When she first arrived, Margaery had not seen her as a threat. Even her own cousin, Desmera, was no rival in her eyes. But pregnancy had changed everything. The Emperor, cautious of harming his unborn child, no longer visited Margaery's chambers and dared to fuck her, not even when it was her starting month; there wasn't even a bump on her.

And then the Queen mother was so cautious that she forbid him to fuck her ass too, when the emperor tried to do it when he wasn't able to control himself, alas at that time, the Queen mother just happen to visit Margaery's chambers and maids didn't dare to stop her from entering, it was then she saw her son about to pierce Margaery's asshole who was on all fours.

She was The Queen Mother, and such scenes weren't new to her; she had seen her son naked too many times, so she paid no heed to it, nor the emperor.

So when she found out what her son was about to do, she just forbade him to do anything until the baby was born.

Thu, the emperor needs to find another woman for himself.

It just so happens that he encountered Joana that day when she was running around. This made him interested, and he secretly visited the bath house to see her assets. Joana wholeheartedly cooperated and showed him her assets.

And this was how Joana got the favor of the emperor.

"Enjoy it while it lasts."

Margaery had once told her.

"You're just a distraction while I am with child. Once I give birth, the Emperor's light will return to me."

Joana would not make the same mistake. This was never about love—it was about the throne.

"I'll try to help you," Roslin says suddenly, pulling Joana from her thoughts. "If you have a son, I will support him. And my husband, whoever he may be, will support him too."

Joana smiles. "You are too kind," she says. "I am not worthy of your affections."

"Do not fret, Joana," Roslin reassures her. "You will not stand alone. Because of what you said to the Emperor, two great families now owe you gratitude. And you shall have daughters as well, whose husbands you will choose to strengthen your position." She squeezes Joana's shoulders. "You must not worry about Lady Margaery."

"She already has a daughter to marry off," Joana muses. "And if this child is a son, he will be born before Lady Desmera's."

"By a month," Roslin points out. "If not for the Mother insisting on early announcements, we would hardly know. She only does it to show the Emperor's virility, since he has no son yet."

"She is a proud mother and grandmother," Joana remarks. The girls had told her that even the slightest suspicion of pregnancy had to be reported to the Mother, who would then announce it publicly. It was a dangerous practice—many in King's Landing would never risk declaring a pregnancy so soon.

"When you have a son, we will be ready," Roslin whispers. "Lord Tyrell will be torn between his daughter and his niece. His focus will not be entirely on either of them."

Joana smiles. "Margaery and Desmera may have their roses," she says, "but we have each other."

Roslin pulls her into a tight embrace, and for the first time, Joana feels a sense of security. She has a true ally in the harem.